The 33-year-old Brazil international joined QPR from Internazionale last summer and has made 26 appearances this season.

However, he has been unable to prevent the club from slipping to the verge of relegation from the Premier League.

Cesar was pictured wearing the home shirt of QPR's London rivals as he posed with countryman David Luiz at a birthday party for the Blues defender.

The image was quickly circulated on social media platforms, with QPR head of communications Ian Taylor writing later on Twitter: "The club is aware of an image of Julio Cesar circulating on social networking feeds.

"The image, which appeared on an Instagram account, has since been deleted. The club will be dealing with this issue internally."

Cesar later issued his own statement through his club, saying: "I would like to clarify that last night I attended David Luiz's fancy dress birthday party and as a joke for my friend, my family and I dressed as him.

Readers' Comments

I

t's wrong to be making a joke out of Bender's name at the expense of gay people. It's the kind of childish, uncivilised thing that Football365 would deride and ridicule if it was another media outlet saying. Why is there a need for jokes like this? Does it make your writers feel like men? F365 might suggest that I 'lighten up', but it is genuinely traumatic for people who have been oppressed all their lives to be the butt of jokes, and to be told...

ou can't blame De Gea for wanting to leave, he has enough to do in front of goal as it is as well as taking on the role of Man Utd's version of Derek Acorah in trying to contact and organise a defence that isn't there.